Daytona USA

"Only 3 Tracks?"

I recently received a Saturn and the Saturn 3-Pack of games, to say the least, I was rather disappointed at the lack of unlockables in these games, but am not entirely disappointed. Daytona USA is an average arcade game, that is fun to play, if for nothing else, to pass the time with a friend.

Story: 1/10
Racing games do not tend to have stories, and this one is no exception. Not to say, that it subtracts from the game.

Graphics: 4/10
These graphics are absolutely HORRIBLE. The only reason it gets a 4 in this category is because of the age of this game. You can only see about 2 car lengths in front of you, everything in front of that is sky, until you get closer. Parts of the track gradually materialize in the same horrible graphics that the cars have. The cars are probably the most aesthetically appealing polygonic blob in the game, though. They aren't... horrible, but are not great either. Other than that, the frame rate is good and remains constant... that is, unless you are flipping from a crash. Man, 3D games without pre-rendered backgrounds age so terribly.

Sound: 6/10
Sound usually isn't that much of a deal with me. The music in this game is enough to get you into the game, with some decent vocal tracks. The sound effects, while nothing awe-inspiring, are solid. Nothing really to complain about... and nothing really to praise.

Gameplay: 5/10
The game is controlled pretty easily. You press and hold C to accelerate, B to brake... Nothing special. Oh, and there are only 3 TRACKS!!! What is the meaning of this, Sega? This game would be a ton better if it wasn't for the ultra small number of tracks. Hell, games on SNES and Genesis had more tracks. That complaint aside, the game can be fun for a while and is a good way to pass the time, without getting overly frustrated (i.e. Mario Party 4).

Replayability: 3/10
I really can't see much replayability in this game. For an arcade game, it gets pretty old... fast. Not to say the game isn't fun, it just doesn't leave you wanting much more. Plus, only one unlockable (Horse) is kind of... um, crap.

Overall: 5/10
While not some amazing god-game, Daytona USA, is a decent racing game with not much too it. It's fun while it lasts, but, gets old very, very quickly with only 3 tracks. Should I buy it? I'd say go ahead, you can probably find it for really, really cheap. But, I'd recommend Daytona USA Championship for Saturn, I heard it has 5 tracks...

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 09/01/03